Nurse Derek
by headofneuro17
Summary: When Casey gets sick while her parents are away, it's up to Derek to take care of her. Due to so many requests, I will be making this a multi-chapter Dasey fic! Please continue reviewing :)
1. Chapter 1

Why were the lights so bright?

Casey was standing in front of her locker, her forehead placed on the cool metal. The whole room was spinning.

"Hey Casey, you okay?" asked Emily as she approached the locker as well.

"Mhm.." Casey mumbled, wincing.

"You don't look okay. Are you not feeling well?" questioned Emily, examining her friend with concern.

Before she could answer, Casey ran for the bathroom. Silently thanking God that there was no one else in there, she dropped to her knees and threw up.

"Derek!"

Derek turned as he heard his name to see a frantic Emily standing in front of him.

"You need to take Casey home."

Derek rolled his eyes before asking "Why? Is it Truman again? How many times is she going to-"

"It's not Truman. She's sick. In fact, she's currently in the bathroom puking."

"Lovely," sighed Derek, running his fingers through his hair. As he glanced up, he saw a pale, shivering Casey stumbling towards him. He quickly grabbed her arm to stop her from falling over.

"Come on Case, let's get you home."

After practically carrying Casey to the car and then inside the house, Derek helped her upstairs to her room.

"Dad and Nora should be home soon," he said as he threw himself into the chair next to her bed, his feet propped up on her desk.

"No, they won't," mumbled Casey from under her pillow.

"Why not?" asked Derek, raising an eyebrow.

"They're going away this weekend, remember? They left last night."

"Oh crap," muttered Derek, realizing that she was right. He yanked his phone out of his pocket and quickly dialed Nora's number.

"Hey Nora, it's Derek. We uh, have a situation here. Casey ended up puking her guts out at school," he said casually, resulting in a groan from Casey.

After a few seconds of silence, Casey heard Derek half shout "What! But this is my weekend to myself, and cleaning up vomit really wasn't part of my plans."

He sighed deeply before hanging up.

"Well, it's storming where they are so there's no chance of them getting on a plane until at least tomorrow. Looks like I'm on sick duty," he grumbled.

"Yeah well spending all weekend with my head in the toilet isn't exactly my idea of a fun time."

"Well, I'll be in my room if you need me. And uh, try _not_ to need me," said Derek as he slammed the door.

Tears stung Casey's eyes at the harshness of his words. She blinked them away as she nodded off to sleep.

Not even an hour later, Casey bolted out of bed and into the bathroom. After throwing up for the second time that day, she leaned her back against the bathroom wall and sobbed. No, she wasn't a little kid anymore but she still wasn't ready to be completely on her own when she was sick. Or worse, with _Derek_. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she willed herself not to throw up again.

She suddenly heard a light knock on the door.

"Case?"

"What do you want, Derek?" she sobbed, bracing herself for one of his stupid jokes.

Derek opened the door slowly, walked in, and knelt down next to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently.

"Like you care! Well, this is me _not_ needing you, just as you asked," cried Casey, burying her face in her knees.

Derek sighed before standing up and offering her his hand.

"C'mon, you can sleep in my room. It's closer to the bathroom."

Casey looked up at him in shock.

"Are you messing with me? Because it's not funny-"

"I'm not!" he insisted as he pulled her to her feet.

She followed him wearily into his room and watched him pull back his covers, motioning for her to lie down. She hesitated before climbing into his bed, wrapping herself in his comforter as she shivered. He placed a hand to her forehead before muttering "damn, you're burning up" and rushing out of the room. He returned a moment later with a bottle of pills and a glass of water.

"Here, take this," he said, handing her two of the white pills and the glass. "This should help bring your fever down."

Too tired to argue, Casey did what he asked before laying back down. Within seconds, she was asleep.

What felt like only a few seconds later, Casey felt her stomach turn again and jumped out of bed. She ran to the bathroom with Derek on her heels. Before she could protest, she was on her knees in front of the toilet. Holding back her hair, Derek held her steady until she went limp.

"Sorry you had to see that," she whispered.

"It's no problem," he said gently, helping her back into his room.

Once she was settled back in his bed, she said "you know, for such a jerk, you're really good at taking care of people when they're sick."

Sitting back in his desk chair with his hands behind his head, Derek laughed before saying "yeah, somehow Marti always decided to throw up when I happened to be babysitting her so I got lots of practice."

Casey smiled slightly. She thought back on all the times her mom had taken care of her and Lizzie when they were sick.

"My mom would always lay with us, no matter how sick and disgusting we were, and rub our back for hours. It made even the worst flus and stomach bugs bearable."

"Don't get any bright ideas. I brought you water and drugs, that's the extent of my nursing care," smirked Derek.

"Trust me. I would never expect you to do that," snapped Casey, rolling over so she was no longer facing him. As she began to doze off, she vaguely heard Derek standing up from his chair. Expecting him to leave, she was surprised when she felt him sit on the bed next to her. A few seconds later, she felt his hand on her back. Hesitating at first, Derek slowly began running his fingers along her spine. He felt her relax under his touch. Smiling to himself, he laid down next to her and continued rubbing her back gently. After a few moments, he slowly slid his hand under her shirt. When she did not resist, he began tracing her spine with his fingers. Flushed and sweaty though she was, he could not tear himself away from her. He buried his face in her hair, marveling at the feeling of her skin under his fingers.

"Derek?"

Her voice startled him.

"Yeah?" he whispered nervously.

"Sorry for ruining your weekend," she mumbled, half-asleep.

"You didn't, Case," he said quietly, pressing a kiss to her temple.

He fell asleep with his hand on her back and a huge smile on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Since so many of you requested for this fic to become a multi-chapter story, I decided to add to it! I'm not sure exactly where it'll go or how often I'll update it but I promise I'll do my best not to disappoint. Thank you all for the super sweet reviews, I get a huge smile on my face whenever I see I have a new one so please keep reviewing as I continue the story! I also started another Dasey fic called "Dance Recital" which I'm really proud of and I would love if y'all would check it out!**

* * *

It was dark when Derek opened his eyes. As he sat up groggily, he realized that Casey was still in his bed next to him. Memories from earlier that day flooded back. Practically carrying her to the car, his phone call with Nora, holding her hair as she was sick, his hand on her back…

He immediately glanced down, grinning slightly as he saw that the back of her shirt was still pulled up halfway with her lower back exposed. His fingers began tracing patterns on her skin, exploring her back and hips. Despite her skin burning with a fever, she began to shiver. Begrudgingly, Derek pulled down her shirt and covered her with his comforter once more. It was so nice being able to be with her, look at her, touch her without having to feign disgust at being around her. Tucking her hair behind her ear, he smiled sadly as he remembered that George and Nora would be home tomorrow and he would have to resume his role of obnoxious step-brother.

He mentally shook himself, forcing his eyes away from Casey. She was his step-sister. His annoying, aggravating, keener step-sister who wasn't all that attractive if you _really_ look at her (or so he tried to convince himself, anyway). Him taking care of her was just him being a brother. He did the same for Marti, after all. And the forehead kiss was entirely platonic. He was simply trying to take care of her until he could force the job off on someone else. Pushing himself out of bed, he stomped down the steps and threw himself on the couch. He flipped through the channels until he found a hockey game and lost himself in it.

Moments or perhaps hours later, he heard footsteps approach the bottom of the steps.

"Derek.." came Casey's faint whisper.

"Hang on, Case. They're about to win this!" Derek yelled, his eyes glued to the screen. The game was nearly over and his team was so close to winning.

"Derek.. I don't feel.."

She never finished. A loud thud from behind him made Derek finally turn around.

"Case, are you okay-" he began but quickly fell silent in shock as he saw Casey's collapsed figure sprawled across the floor. His heart began pounding as he looked around frantically, unsure of what to do. Casey was the one who insisted on getting her CPR certification, not him. The worst he had ever experienced was when Marti fell off her bike and broke her wrist, and even that was nothing compared to this.

As the initial shock began to pass, he knelt down next to her and checked her pulse. He felt a weak beating underneath his fingertips as he pressed them to her neck. Breathing out a quick sigh of relief, he scooped her up in his arms as quickly and carefully as he could and debated whether to call an ambulance or drive her to the hospital himself. Reasoning that the ambulance would get her medical care more quickly, he laid her on the couch as gently as he could and sprinted for the phone.

After lots of stuttering, he managed to choke out his address before insisting that they hurry up and slamming the phone down once more. He began pacing up and down the living room, throwing panicked glances at Casey's limp body every few seconds. What could have happened, he wondered. Surely a stomach virus wasn't enough to make her this sick. What had he done, what _hadn't_ he done…

A loud knock on the door caused him to jump. Swearing under his breath, he ran towards the door as it opened. Two EMT's rushed in and immediately spotting Casey, began loading her onto a gurney.

"You'll want to follow us in your car so you'll have a way to get home if you need to," said one of the men as they began moving her towards the door. Unable to speak, Derek merely nodded and picked up his keys before promptly dropping them. Swearing again at his shaking hands, he snatched them off the floor and bolted out of the house.

* * *

"Casey McDonald!" Derek yelled at a nurse, banging his fist on the desk counter that separated them. "She came in an ambulance after passing out on the living room floor! She has brown hair and blue eyes and she's wearing these ridiculous pink pajamas pants with rabbits on them! I did what the EMT's said and drove here separately, against my better judgement I might add, now where the hell is she?"

"What is your relationship with the patient?" asked the nurse sternly, obviously irritated at Derek's rudeness.

"She's my step-sister, why the _hell_ does it matter? WHERE IS SHE?" he yelled, raking his fingers through his hair.

The nurse began to retort but was interrupted as a doctor in mint green scrubs entered the room.

"Derek McDonald?"

"Venturi," he corrected her. "But I'm here for Casey McDonald, she's my step-sister."

"My mistake. This way, Mr. Venturi," said the doctor kindly, motioning for Derek to follow her. Three hallways and several rooms later, the doctor stopped in front of what he assumed was Casey's room.

"Your sister's fainting was a result of severe dehydration. We are currently providing her with fluids through an IV. You'll be able to take her home soon," said the doctor in a soothing tone.

"So.. so she's okay?" whispered Derek, his voice breaking in relief.

"Yes, she's okay," replied the doctor with a reassuring smile. "Do you have parents you can call?"

"Our parents are out of town for the weekend, hence why I'm here instead of them. She was throwing up for most of the day and had a fever, I should have _known_ to make sure she was drinking more-"

"It's not an uncommon occurrence, Mr. Venturi. We see patients in here all the time due to dehydration after a stomach virus or food poisoning. This isn't your fault."

Derek nodded, running his fingers through his hair once more. Entering the hospital room, he immediately pulled a chair next to Casey's bed. Grateful that she was unconscious, he took her hand in his as his vision began to blur with unshed tears. Swiping at his eyes with his wrist, he whispered "I'm sorry, Case."

Despite the doctor's reassurance, Derek couldn't stop nauseating guilt from overwhelming him. He wasn't stupid, he knew that throwing up could make you dehydrated. Hadn't his mother always told him to increase his fluid intake when he was sick? Yet here he was, in a hospital room, because he wasn't able to take care of her. She had tried to come to him for help but he didn't listen because he was too distracted by a hockey game. _A hockey game._ The thought sickened him.

From this point forward, he vowed to himself, he would never let something like this happen again. He would protect her, just like he should have been doing all along. Even if her step-brother was all he would ever be, he wasn't going to let anything hurt her ever again. It wasn't until a tear slid down his cheek did he realize that Casey was the only girl to ever make him cry.


	3. Chapter 3

**I know the last chapter was kind of heavy but I was trying to set up a foundation for the rest of the story. Thank you all so much for the reviews! I hope you enjoy this next chapter! I'm sorry it took as long as it did, I was having a bit of writer's block.**

* * *

"Derek, I appreciate the thought, really I do. But please, let me sleep."

It was the third time in the last hour that he had checked on Casey, occasionally waking her up to feed her crackers or help her sip water.

"Hey, do you know how bad Nora would kick my ass if you died on my watch?" he smirked, brushing a piece of hair off of her sweaty forehead as he handed her a glass of water.

"Losing consciousness as a result of dehydration hardly qualifies as dying," said Casey, rolling her eyes but accepting the glass all the same. She studied Derek's face as she took small gulps of water. There were dark shadows under his bloodshot eyes from what she knew was lack of sleep.

"You should really get some sleep, Derek."

"Well, seeing as how you're in my bed, that makes things rather difficult doesn't it?"

Casey blushed as she realized that she was still in Derek's bed.

"I'm sorry, I'll go back to my room-"

"No, stay here," said Derek quickly. Seeing the surprised look on her face, he recovered with "can't have the parents thinking that I abandoned poor sick Casey. Do you know what kind of hell I would pay?"

"And for a second there, I thought you were actually being compassionate," retorted Casey, rolling her eyes once more.

"You know me better than that, sis." The last word burned in the back of his throat.

* * *

Four hours and a tearful Nora later, Derek was officially off Casey duty. He sat at his desk, listening to the same song on repeat without realizing it. He wondered how Casey was doing, as if she wasn't a mere wall away. He knew he should be relieved that he wasn't obligated to take care of her anymore, but he couldn't help but feel disappointed. He liked taking care of her. He liked feeling like she needed him.

He knew things would go back to normal now. Even after the long night of cleaning up vomit, even after nearly strangling the nurse at the hospital, even after the exhaustion that made him feel sick himself, he could not help but long for it. Looking back, he wasn't going to remember any of that. What he would remember was the image of Casey asleep in his bed, her small figure curled around his as he held her. He would remember buying so much Gatorade that he could barely carry it all because damn it, he was not going to let her get dehydrated again. He would remember being able to look at her for hours on end with no consequences. Most of all, he would remember his promise.

"She's your sister, you sicko," he whispered to himself, shaking his head. He threw himself into bed and tried not to think about how the last time he here, Casey was with him. He fell into a restless sleep after trying desperately to convince himself that his overprotectiveness was _strictly_ brotherly.

* * *

Over the next week, Derek noticed that despite the past weekend, the McDonald-Venturi household returned to its chaotic norm. Casey, panicked about the classes she missed during her sick day, threw herself into her schoolwork even more than usual. Derek tried to turn his focus towards hockey (and away from Casey).

After a particularly aggressive practice, all he wanted was to collapse on the couch and zone out with a video game. Lugging his gear into the house, he piled it in front of the front door and headed towards the kitchen. He grabbed a bag of chips and a soda before returning to the living room where he found Casey, dressed in an outfit that definitely wasn't what she wore to school that day.

"Where are you going?" he asked her, looking her up and down. She was wearing a jean skirt with a tight red long-sleeved shirt, her hair was curled and hanging delicately around her face which was coated with a light layer of makeup. _She's your sister,_ Derek reminded himself, mentally shaking his thoughts away from how attractive he found her.

"I had a date," she said, mindlessly twirling a piece of hair. It was a nervous habit Derek had picked up on and couldn't help but find really cute.

"Well, I must say you look better without puke in your hair," smirked Derek.

"Really, you had to bring that up? I never asked for your help," she snapped.

Derek was taken aback by her harsh tone. He hadn't expected his teasing to really bother her.

"No you didn't, but I gave it anyways," he said, looking at her in confusion.

"Then don't hold it over me. You did one nice thing, but that doesn't make you a hero."

"I never said.. Case, what the hell? I made one stupid comment-"

"You can't do anything nice without acting like an ass to make up for it."

He had never heard Casey swear before. She had called him a jerk before, of course, but never anything like this. Where was this anger coming from?

"What is your problem?" he yelled, beginning to lose his temper.

"My problem is that you are so egotistical. You do things like helping me when I'm sick to convince yourself that you're such a good person when in reality you're a selfish jerk. You don't do nice things because you care, you do them to create this nice guy reputation for yourself that is completely fake. You might be able to fool all of your ditzy girlfriends into thinking you're some Prince Charming but I see right through your act."

It took Derek's brain a few seconds to register what he had heard. He and Casey fought all the time, but she had never blown up at him like this. He was as angry as he was confused.

"What's wrong, Case? Pissed off my dates always adore me while yours can't even be bothered to walk you to the door? It's not my fault no one can stand you."

The words were out of his mouth before he could even think about what he was saying. He saw the hurt flicker in her eyes as she bit her lip to keep herself from crying.

"You just made my point for me," she whispered before bolting up the stairs.

Storming up the stairs behind her, Derek slammed the door to his room so hard he was surprised it didn't come off the hinges. He threw the can of soda against the wall, his stomach turning too much to even consider drinking it.

Did she really see him as nothing more than an egotistical ass? How could she think he was only taking care of her to fuel his ego? He thought back to the past weekend, wracking his brain for anything that could have made her think that. The only thing he could think of was telling her not to need him… But hadn't he taken care of her anyways? And yeah, he royally messed up in letting her get dehydrated but the nurse had said it wasn't his fault! He tried so hard to make sure she was okay. He had vowed to protect her and never let anything hurt her again. Maybe what he didn't realize was that what he really needed to protect her from was himself.


	4. Chapter 4

**A bit of Dasey fluff at the end. Stay tuned!**

It was nearing midnight and yet Casey lie awake, staring at the ceiling angrily. She had been too harsh on Derek and she knew it, and admitting it to herself made her even angrier. Tossing and turning, she readjusted herself so that she was facing the wall that she shared with Derek's room and wondered if he was awake.

It was difficult living with Derek for more reasons that one. He was her polar opposite: lazy, obnoxious, and though she hated to admit it, effortlessly sexy. That wasn't to say that _she_ found him sexy, Casey quickly assured herself, but she could definitely see why he would appeal to other girls. He never had trouble getting a date, if anything he didn't have enough time for all the girls throwing themselves at him. She, on the other hand, always seemed to end up with heartbreakers that cared more about unzipping her jeans than holding her heart. His words echoed in her head. " _What's wrong, Case? Pissed off my dates always adore me while yours can't even be bothered to walk you to the door? It's not my fault no one can stand you."_ She had deserved it and probably worse but the words hurt all the same, especially after the date she had been on earlier that evening. It had been going really well until they settled down in the movies.

" _C'mon Casey, let's sit in the back," said Adam, a boy she had met from poetry club._

" _Are you sure? It feels like we're so far away from the screen," she questioned, glancing at the seats he was motioning to._

" _Movies are always better in the back, trust me," he grinned._

 _She decided not to argue and sat down next to him, sipping on her diet soda while her date shoved sour gummy worms in his mouth. Focusing her attention on the screen, she became entranced in a trailer for a romance movie until she felt Adam's hand on her knee. She convinced herself it was harmless and ignored it until it starting moving up her leg._

" _What are you doing?" she asked uneasily._

 _He didn't answer and instead smashed his lips against hers, forcing his tongue into her mouth. Taking her temporary shock as a chance to slide his hand completely up her skirt, he gripped her thigh roughly while his other hand groped her chest. Struggling beneath him, she gasped for air as she shoved him off of her._

" _What the hell was that?" she whispered furiously._

" _I told you movies are always better in the back," he smirked, wiggling his eyebrows at her._

" _Going to a movie with you does not give you to right to feel me up!"_

" _Oh please, did you actually think we were going to watch this stupid chick flick? I suppose next you'll be saying you believed that I like poetry?"_

 _His words made her feel sick. Everything she thought she knew about him turned out to be a lie, just like with every other guy she had ever been with. Her throat tightened as tears began threatening to fall. With one last look of disgust, she got up angrily and stomped away._

The thought of Adam touching her made her stomach turn once more. After the last weekend with Derek, she had actually thought that there were honest, decent guys out there who wanted her for more than just her body. Her anger towards him wasn't entirely misdirected, however. Derek taking care of her had caused him to see her in a state of vulnerability that she never wanted him to see. Despite how out of it she had been, there were things that happened that she simply could not have imagined. The feeling she got when his fingers traced her spine was not one she could have dreamed up on her own. He had definitely held her while she slept, and she even thought he had kissed her forehead at one point, but the memory was too blurred for her to properly remember. All she knew was that it was the safest and most cared for she had felt in a long time. She wanted nothing more than for it to last forever.

She should have known better than to think that it would. Derek was kind to her because she was sick but loving and nurturing just wasn't in his nature, and when he had made fun of her after seeing her in such a state… well, it had left her feeling hurt and almost violated. The weekend had caused the dynamic of their relationship to shift slightly, or so she thought. She never quite knew how to describe what they were to one another. Not exactly family, not exactly friends. After the past weekend, however, she had felt closer to him than she ever had. Tenderness was never something she associated with him and yet, he had treated her with the same gentleness she had only seen him use with Marti. She had considered that maybe he was beginning to finally see her as a sister. It's what she had wanted for so long, for them to finally be a family. So why did that bother her?

Tears of frustration blurred her vision as she turned thought after thought over in her head, each one of them centered on the aggravating boy next door. Her lack of faith in men stemmed largely from her father's unreliability and it seemed just as she began to trust again, someone (usually Derek) came along and made her regret it.

A sudden knock at her door startled her out of her thoughts. Wearily getting out of bed, she opened the door quietly to see a messy-haired teenage boy standing in front of her.

"Derek? What are you doing awake?" she whispered, glancing at her clock. It was almost one in the morning.

"I erm.. heard you crying, and I just wanted to see.. you know, if you were okay," he mumbled awkwardly.

Suddenly aware of the tear tracks on her cheeks, she began to wipe at them quickly but Derek beat her to it as he brushed away a tear with his thumb.

"I'm sorry about snapping at you," she muttered, not meeting his eye.

"Did you mean it?" he asked, looking at her with a very un-Derek like seriousness.

"Do you actually care?" she asked, unsettled by his sincerity.

"Well, I must have messed up pretty bad if you actually meant the things you said."

Guilt began to eat at her slightly as she realized the impact of her words.

"You're not an egotistical ass… all the time," she smirked, attempting to make light of the situation.

"What a relief," he said, returning her smirk.

"Adam Anderson tried to feel me up today," she said casually, laughing bitterly.

"Is that why you were so upset?"

"Try having a guy like that ram his tongue down your throat and stick his hand up your skirt then tell me how you would feel."

"Good thing I don't wear skirts then."

"Der-ek!" she whispered, hitting his arm lightly while attempting to conceal a grin.

"In all seriousness though, the guy's an ass and I'm half tempted to break his face," said Derek, his tone turning serious once more.

"I guess you were right about me sucking at dates," she joked, the pain evident in her voice.

"Case, I didn't mean that and I think you know that. I was exhausted and pissed off, but I never intended to hurt you."

The scarcely seen tenderness in his voice caused tears to well in her eyes again and before she could process what was happening, Derek had wrapped his arms around her. Shocked but too tired to question it, she simply hugged him back, her tears seeping through his shirt.

"If anyone hurts you, tell me. I won't hesitate to kick their ass," he said, running the back of his hand along her side.

They still weren't quite family and not quite friends, but in that moment, Casey felt her world shift just a little and knew that her affection for him ran deeper than a familial obligation. Infuriating as he was, she cared for him and she knew it. Despite her inability to place a title on the boy standing before her, she took the moment for what it was worth and was grateful for the comfort from the one with whom she shared a wall.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm so sorry for the delay y'all, I recently started college (as a pre-med student, no less) so needless to say it's been chaotic. I was having a bit of trouble deciding where to go with this but I think I have the next couple chapters figured out. I know this one is a bit short but I plan on having another out soon! I also plan on this being a bit of a slow burn so be patient with me ;) Thank you for all the kind reviews and let me know what you think of this chapter!**

The beeping of his alarm clock resulted in a loud groan from Derek as he smashed the snooze button. Apart from making up with Casey, his weekend was relatively uneventful. Knowing that the peace wasn't going to last long, knowing his family, he cherished the lack of chaos.

Forcing himself out of bed, he stumbled towards the bathroom only to find that it was locked. Hearing the sound of the shower running, he groaned once again and banged on the door loudly.

"Casey! Hurry up, would you?"

No answer. Sighing, Derek trekked down the steps and into the kitchen. He lazily poured a bowl of cereal and mindlessly began spooning it into his mouth. He realized several minutes later that he had been absently staring at the photograph that hung next to the fridge. He thought back to the day it had been taken. It was the evening of George and Nora's wedding. His dad had forced him into a stupid suit that didn't fit properly and he spent the night making sure Marti didn't eat too much cake.

" _So, looks like you're now officially my step-sister."_

" _I know! I'm so excited for us all to be a family!"_

 _He could tell already that living with Casey in the house was about to make his life a lot more interesting...and a lot more annoying. He could call her his step-sister all he wanted but he knew he would never see her that way. He was a Venturi, she was a McDonald. They were from different worlds._

" _Us being a family all boils down to technicality. It couldn't be more obvious we didn't come from the same bloodline," he sneered in her direction._

 _A look of hurt (one he had since come to know so well) flickered over her face briefly._

" _Well, we're stuck with each other so you might as well get used to it," she said coldly._

 _Ah, of course. Incredibly sensitive, he should have seen that from a mile away. She seemed to be the type of girl that was always crying over one thing or another._

" _C'mon, you two!" came Nora's voice as she scurried over to them, a huge smile plastered to her face. "I want a picture of you two together!"_

" _Do we have to?" Casey whined, still pouting over his words._

" _Yes! Get next to your new brother!"_

 _New brother. He was going to be hearing that a lot, wasn't he?_

 _Reluctantly, Casey moved closer to Derek. Rolling his eyes, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer as he muttered "Let's get this over with." He had never really had the chance to look at her up close, or maybe he had and just never really paid attention. Her eyes were blue with small flecks of green in them and if he looked closely, he could see a few freckles trailing across the bridge of her nose. He found the small details strangely endearing, as if they made her more real. For the longest time he just knew her as Casey, the daughter of his dad's girlfriend. As annoying as he had always found her, she also intrigued him._

" _Derek! Look at the camera!"_

 _Nora's voice quickly snapped him out of his thoughts. After he heard the click of the camera, he quickly shoved Casey away, claiming that was "enough family time for one day."_

" _It's okay, Derek. I know you're not used to girls letting you that close to them. The new sensation must be overwhelming," simpered Casey in a sickly sweet tone._

 _Oh hell, what had he gotten himself into?_

Despite the circumstances under which it was taken, the photo of he and Casey appeared rather sweet. Without any context, one might actually think they were friends. As much as he hated to admit it, Derek knew that deep down he cared for Casey. She pissed him off to absolutely no end, but if anyone were to her hurt...they would have hell to pay. His stomach turned just thinking about what Casey had revealed to him a few days prior. He was still tempted to rearrange Adam's face for the way he had treated her. She deserved all the things that he referred to as "romantic crap" but knew he would do if he were to ever really fall in love. The way to Casey's heart wasn't hard. She wanted flowers and poems and respect. Why other guys couldn't see it, Derek would never understand.

"Good morning!" chirped Casey from behind him, causing him to tear his eyes away from the photo.

"Ah, look who's finally out of the shower. You better not have used all the hot water," he yawned, turning to look at her.

"You could have woken up before me and showered. Don't blame me because you can't get out of bed," she said, ruffling his hair as she walked by.

"Hey, hands off the merchandise!" he snapped, swatting her hand away. "And next time, you might wanna keep it down a little. Your singing quite resembles a cat giving birth."

"Oh, do we want to talk about awful singing? I remember quite clearly how _someone_ couldn't sing in his band because he's tone deaf-"

"Alright, alright!" he interrupted, throwing his hands above his head and heading out of the kitchen. He could vaguely hear her yelling "What's wrong? Can't take what you dish out?" as he climbed the steps. Grinning to himself slightly, he thought back to the photo once more. Some things never change and Casey's smart mouth was one of them.


	6. Chapter 6

**This is a bit of a filler chapter just to get used to writing again but I hope you enjoy it and more will definitely be coming soon!**

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It was a little after midnight and try as he might, Derek could not fall asleep. Rain was coming down in sheets and sounded like bullets hitting his window. Groaning, he rolled over as he pressed a pillow hard against his head in at attempt to block out the sound of thunder but it was useless. After one particularly intense clap of thunder that made the house shake, he sighed heavily and got out of bed. He made his way down the stairs, wondering how on earth everyone else was sleeping through the mess going on outside. As he reached the bottom step, he realized that he wasn't the only one awake.

Casey was on the couch with her knees to her chin and her face hidden by her hands. As he drew closer, he saw that her tiny figure was shaking slightly.

"Scared of thunderstorms?" he smirked, throwing a pillow at her.

Jumping as the pillow hit her, Casey's eyes flew up in fear and anger. Derek's stomach dropped as he noticed tears trailing down her cheeks.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, uneasily shifting from one foot to the other.

"Go away," she snapped, burying her face in the pillow he threw at her.

"But where's the fun in that? There's obviously something wrong and if leave without finding out what it is, I won't be able to make fun of you for it later."

"I said, go AWAY!" she yelled, her voice breaking as more tears slipped from her eyes.

"Alright, fine!" he whispered, throwing his hands up in defeat and walking into the kitchen.

Sometimes, he really didn't understand her. Casey was always the first one to want to gush about her feelings and the one time he acts concerned, she blows him off. Reasoning that it was probably about some rotton boy or another, Derek decided to leave her be and headed for the freezer. He pulled ice cream out and merely glanced at the bowls before picking up a spoon and eating directly from the carton. After finishing about a third of it, he went to put it away, heard Casey sniffle softly from the living room and decided against it. Knowing that she would never agree to eat straight from the carton, he dished out a generous amount into a bowl.

"So, in all those cheesy chick ficks, the girls end up eating ice cream while they cry so I figured you might as well do this right if you insist on the waterworks," he grinned, setting the bowl down in front of her. She looked up at him with a small smile. He took this as an invite and sat down next to her, tenderly brushing away a tear before tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Now, how about you tell me what's going on?" he inquired softly.

"My dad always told me I would never find a guy that would put up with me because I was too much like my mom. Too bossy, too uptight, just too much overall. I denied it for so long, insisting that it was just bitterness over the divorce but now, I'm starting to wonder if he was right."

Her words tore at him. No one deserved that sort of treatment from their parent, but especially not her.

"While I won't deny that you are definitely too much sometimes-"

"Thanks, Derek," she cut him off with a small sob.

"Case, let me finish. Yeah, you're bossy, you're uptight, you work way too hard all the time and sometimes living with you is a downright nightmare. You're also the most determined person I've ever met, a kind person even to people who don't deserve it, and though I will deny this later, there is not one person in this house that would be able to function without you around."

She looked up at him to see if his words were genuine, searching his face for signs of mocking.

"The guys you've been with haven't been able to put up with you because you ARE too much. You're too damn smart for them. You're too dedicated to your work to let a guy get in the way of it. You're too confident to let a guy treat you like any less than what you deserve. Case, you are the very best kind of too much."

She moved towards him as if she were about to hug him but hesitated and eventually backed away.

"Thank you, Derek. I..I needed that. And that," she said, motioning to the ice cream.

"Can I give you one more thing I think you need?"

Though she looked confused, she nodded slowly. He wrapped his arms around her with a touch that was much more gentle than she had ever seen him use with anyone but Marti. She gratefully accepted the hug, resting her head on his shoulder as his fingers trailed up and down her back. After a few minutes, she slowly pulled away and suggested they both get some sleep. Derek agreed and followed her upstairs. Just before he entered his room, he paused and turned to her.

"If you tell anyone what a sap I was tonight, I will never speak to you again," he said, shaking a finger at her.

"Is that a promise?" said Casey as her door slammed shut but not before he caught a glimpse of a smile.


End file.
